Recovery
by UK-824
Summary: The rebels won the Regiment de Cuisine and the Azami administration has been defeated. Now starting their second year, Souma and the rest of the 92nd generation face new challenges and responsibilities. But the scars of Central still run deep and it's up to the new Elite 10 council to find a way to heal them.
1. Chapter 1- the new Elite 10

"If there are no objections, we shall move on to the next order of business." Erina Nakiri announced.

"I have an objection. Can we just skip the rest of the meeting and go?" Souma Yukihira asked. The other eight people in the room watched and waited for the now trade-marked sigh that Erina was prone to giving whenever the red-haired chef spoke.

"No, Yukihira-kun, we cannot end the meeting early. There is still much work to be done in removing the influence of the Central administration from last year." Erina answered with far more patience than she thought was fair.

"Actually, I agree with Yukihira-chin. Can we just leave? This meeting is boring." Terunori Kuga added.

"See, Kuga-senpai agrees with me."

"That's because you two are practically the same person." Akira Hayama interjected.

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm far handsomer than Yukihira-chin!" Kuga said as if it was obvious.

"But senpai, I'm taller than you." Souma replied with the same nonchalance.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU STUPID LITTLE SHIT!?"

"It's not like he's wrong…" Ryou Kurokiba added.

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU DROOPY EYED BASTARD!?" Kuga continued ranting.

"Ohhh?" Ryou said, beginning to unfurl his bandana.

"Now, now, let's all calm down. Nakiri-chan went to all this trouble to gather us here for our first Elite 10 meeting of the year so we should respect that and listen to what she has to say." New first seat Satoshi Isshiki said to the group. Various grumble of agreement came from everyone.

"Thank you, Isshiki-senpai. Now, as you all know, due to the victory of the former "rebels" in last year's Regiment de Cuisine against Central, Tootsuki has removed Azami Nakamura as director and reinstated Senzaemon Nakiri."

"Here, here!" Souma cheered, causing Erina to flash a quick smirk.

"Furthermore, due to the results of said Regiment de Cuisine, and the fact that the 90th generation graduated last year, the Elite 10's roster has changed. If the rest of the council would agree to it, I'd like to go around and announce our names and ranks as a way of starting off the year and getting to know each other."

"Oh, come one, Nakiri. You just want an excuse to show off that you're on top of me again." Souma complained, causing Erina to blush a rather magnificent shade of red.

"How bold the youth are getting…" Kuga said sagely.

"He meant in the rankings, Kuga." Nene Kinokuni corrected.

"Ah, ah ah. That's Kuga-sama to you." Kuga teased, wagging his finger.

"Don't push your luck." Nene immediately shot back.

"Why not? After all, my luck did get me on top of you, Nene-chin." Kuga said, winking at his classmate.

"J-just in th-the rankings, y-you idiot…" Nene stammered.

"If Kuga-senpai is done being Kuga-senpai, I agree with Nakiri-san's proposal." Takumi said.

"Me too." Megumi seconded.

"Thank you, Takumi-san, Tadokoro-chan. What about you, Mimasaka-san?"

"If it's good with Aldini, I'll agree."

"As do I, so I'll start. Satoshi Isshiki, 1st seat."

"Terunori Kuga, 2nd seat."

"Nene Kinokuni, 3rd seat."

"Erina Nakiri, 4th seat."

"Souma Yukihira, 5th seat… for now!" Souma declared, shooting a challenging glare at Erina.

"Hmph."

"Takumi Aldini, 6th seat, also for now."

"Ryo Kurokiba, 7th seat."

"M-Megumi Tadokoro, 8th seat."

"Akira Hayama, 9th seat."

"Subaru Mimasaka, 10th seat."

"Thank you, everyone. Up next…" Erina began again, listing various regulations that the new Elite 10 would decide on for the year. One of them being that any significant change to the school would have to be approved by all 10 members and then approved by the director.

"So as to not repeat what happened last year." Erina explained, receiving no argument. Other regulations included the re-establishing of research societies, choosing the theme for the Autumn elections this year, the division of paperwork amongst the 10, which members would oversee which events, and the handling of the veritable mountain of shokugeki challenges that the council has received.

"Seriously? It's only been a week since the new year started." Nene said.

"And most of them are from freshman." Ryo said.

"Not really surprising. They weren't affected by Central." Mimasaka replied.

"This actually brings me to my last order of business. The majority of second and third year students still hold some form of trauma over the Azami administration and I'd like to find a way to help them with that. And so, I open the floor to you all. Does anyone have any ideas?" Erina asked.

"A tournament." Ryo stated.

"Doesn't that sound a bit too aggressive at the start of the year, Kurokiba-san?" Megumi asked.

"Well that's what this school is, a battle ground for chefs."

"That may be the problem, in and of itself. The school has always been a place where you can challenge and be challenged at any time, students were always looking over their shoulder because of it. That's actually one of the things we agreed with Azami on, students shouldn't have to be that stressed all the time." Nene offered.

"How thoughtful, Kinokuni-kun." Isshiki said.

"Indeed. Nene-chin really isn't a stoic hag anymore." Kuga teased.

"Die."

"While I choose to ignore the part on agreeing with Azami, Kinokuni-senpai brings up a good point. Stress levels can get rather high, and while this is something all chefs must learn to handle, we're still students."

"How about something like a potluck?" Souma offered.

"Interesting, go on."

"Everyone at this school is here to cook, yeah? Whether it's shokugeki's, elections, the festival, or something else, we're all chefs. What if we took out the stressful part of it? Students just cook a dish or two and eat the others food. No competition, no threats of expulsion, just chefs cooking and exchanging ideas." He explained.

"Souma-kun, that's a wonderful idea!" Megumi exclaimed.

"Indeed, students coming together, sharing and helping each other grow! Such is the springtime of youth!" Isshiki said, suddenly in nothing but a fundoshi.

"What was the time on that, Yukihira-chin?"

"A full nine minutes and 18 seconds since the meeting started." He answered, holding up a stopwatch.

"Dammit!" Takumi cursed, handing Ryo a few bills. Nene made a similar expression as she handed Kuga money as well.

"I can't believe you bet on something like this." Hayama commented.

"You say that, but I bet you're getting some money under the table." Souma said.

"Actually, he's giving it to Tadokoro-san." Mimasaka explained, causing Megumi to blush slightly and Hayama to look sheepish.

"How did you know? You're on the other side of the table." Souma asked.

"Constant observation. It's why my Trace is as good as it is." He explained.

"So Nakiri's got the tongue, Hayama's got the nose, and now Mimasaka's got the eyes. We just need fingers and ears and we'll have the whole set."

"Yukihira-kun, we're getting off topic."

"Which was?"

"Your potluck idea! How can you forget your own idea?!" Erina admonished.

"Hey, I remember the important things."

"Please, you'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached to your neck."

"Wouldn't I be dead then?"

"For the sake of my sanity, can we get back on topic?" Nene asked.

"Yes, thank you, Kinokuni-senpai. Does anyone object or have anything to add to the potluck idea?" Erina asked. She was a little surprised when she saw Hayama raise his hand.

"Yes, Hayama-san?"

"Can we table the potluck for now? The new year just started and I'd like to watch the students for a bit, just to see how they're doing."

"Any particular reason?"

"Call it a hunch."

"Things have been put on hold for less in this council… does anyone oppose to this?" No one raised their hand.

"Then the discussion is tabled until our next meeting. That also concludes this meeting."

"Finally!"

"Souma-kun, it wasn't that bad."

"C'mon, Tadokoro, aren't you itching to get back to the dorm? I have so many new recipes I wanna try out." Souma explained, causing Megumi to tense. The rest of the ten grew very sympathetic towards the 8th seat, knowing that she was usually on the receiving end of whatever mad concoction the red-headed chef would come up with. She still had nightmares over his horseradish and jam curry dish he tried a few months back.

"A-actually, Souma-kun, I just remembered I have to help Local Cuisine R.S get up and running again. Maybe some other time." She fibbed, dashing out of the room.

"Huh, they've been hogging her a lot lately. Oh well, I'll just taste em myself. Later, everyone." Souma announced. Most of the rest of the ten followed suit, leaving just Erina and Nene in the room.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Kinokuni-senpai?"

"No, I just like to stay here sometimes, clear my head. What about you?"

"I remember, yes. I just needed to gather all these papers before I left, most of them are Yukihira-kun's because he has no semblance of professionalism."

"I can see that."

"If that's all, I'll see you later, Kinokuni-senpai."

"Later then… and… thank you…"

"For what?"

"Letting me stay on the council… giving me this chance…"

"We all agreed you deserved it, and you made the jump to 3rd seat on your own merit."

"Still…" Nene rambled. She had been very careful recently as to not step on any toes. Just last term, she was enemies to everyone on the council and now that she was back, she didn't want to make any wrong moves. After her loss in the Regiment, she'd been shaken to her core. First by Souma's cooking and reasoning behind it. It drove her to look at herself objectively and it gave her some clarity about her own shortcomings. Now she improves on all her cooking, not just her soba, she experiments more, and most of all, she's started to consider the idea of "how the customer will like it" rather than "I made it the right way". Those acts caused her cooking to grow by leaps and bounds. The second reason came at the revelation of what Azami did to Erina. She was horrified at the fact she followed such a man, a regret shared by the rest of the previous Elite 10 to various degrees. They denounced Azami when it all came to light, putting the final nails in his coffin. Since then, she's worked to be better than before.

"We've been over this, Nene-san. You've apologized enough for following that man, and if you're still worried about it, you've earned my forgiveness by helping put Tootsuki back together. Now I'll see you at the next meeting, hopefully in a better mindset?"

"Yeah, you bet." Nene smiled.

As Erina left, she took out her phone and was met with a plethora of message's, some from Hisako about various appointments and updates, some from Alice about complaints and generally Alice being Alice, and the rest from her friends.

"Yo, Nakiri." Erina almost dropped her phone due to the surprise.

"Yukihira-kun! Don't do that, what are you even doing here?"

"Sorry about that, I was just waiting for you."

"Why?"

"Wanted to walk back with you. Figured I wouldn't see you as much when you move back into your mansion." Souma explained.

"Yukihira-kun, the dorm is over three kilometres away, I wasn't going to walk that far." Erina explained, pointing to the car waiting for her.

"Oh, well I'll ride back with you then." He said, getting into the back seat.

"No, wait- fine, whatever." Erina sighed, resigning herself to her classmate's actions and sitting next to him.

"Yukihira-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"If you're riding with me, which I still didn't agree to, how did you get to the meeting?"

"I biked."

"And you just left it there?"

"I have my moped at the dorm."

"You know you have access to various cars and limo's now that you're part of the elite 10, right?"

"Yeah, but all that's too fancy for my taste."

"Says the man who's first action when he got into the council was to commission a pool for the dorm."

"Hey, it gets hot in the summer and that blow up kiddie pool just doesn't cut it."

"And the hot-tub?"

"Ok, you might've gotten me there." Souma said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Honestly, you are too much." She said. Feeling her phone buzz, she answered.

"That Hisako?"

"Yes, just some updates on paperwork and appointments. Speaking of which, you left these back at the meeting." She said, giving him the stack of papers.

"Aww, man. These aren't forms, they're shokugeki challenges, most of them anyway."

"All those? There has to be at least 50."

"It gets worse, all these are from Eizan-senpai. The rest are also from him, but those are just letters about how much he hates me."

"Eizan-senpai? Haven't you already had three shokugeki's with him?"

"Mhmm, he always asks for the same three things: my seat, my expulsion, or my death."

"Your death?!"

"Well, I'm actually not too sure about that, when he asks that he just puts on a weird face and says ' **DIE** '. A lot like what Kinokuni-senpai does to Kuga-senpai."

"That man… what do you get when you win?"

"First time he gave me financial advice, second was he had to dye his hair purple-" he was interrupted by Erina laughing.

"That's why he looks like that? Why would you make him do that?"

"Because it's hilarious." He smirked.

"And the Hello Kitty glasses?" she asked, causing his smirk to grow.

"Yup."

"Wonderful, Yukihira-kun. What will you do about the rest of his challenges?"

"I'll answer one and when I win, I'll have him leave me alone for a while. As much as I love shokugeki's, he's too much."

"You're very confident, Yukihira-kun. What if he wins and you get expelled?" Erina asked jokingly. She was expecting a cocky comeback of sorts so she was confused when all she heard was him sigh. She looked over to see him staring out the window, head propped up against his fist. It was then did she realize that he didn't have his trademarked headband wrapped around his wrist.

"Then… I guess I'll leave Tootsuki."

 **(A/N. Hey, everyone. This story probably wont be too long, maybe to or three more chapters after this one. for those of you who follow 'Tell me about it sometime' I promise I haven't abandoned it. I've gotten a few idea's planned out and an arc coming up for it as well. As for why I'm writing this story, it's partly because the idea came to me and wouldn't leave, and partly because I needed a brake from 'Tell me about it sometime'. I have the next chapter written but I'm just not happy with it. The idea is there, but it's just not good enough to show you all. Until then, I'll be working on this. As always, leave a review if you have them and if you have any questions, I'll do sort of an answer time in the following chapters.)**


	2. Car talks and new ideas

"WHAT?!" Erina's outburst was loud enough for the driver to swerve for a moment. Normally, Erina would berate them at no end for that, but she had more important things to do. For starters, setting a certain red-headed chef straight.

"How could you say that so easily!? Have you forgotten how hard we all worked to get here?! Do you not care about the people you'd leave behind!? This is perhaps the single most irresponsible, capricious, insane thing you've ever said! And you have the nerve to say that to me?! Erina Nakiri?! We promised, you promised me that we'd become 2nd years together and now that we have, you think you can run away from me?! Well I won't have it, Souma Yukihira, do you understand?! You are not getting away from me that easily! If I have to beat you in a shokugeki so that you realize just how foolish you're being, then so be it! I swear I'll-!"

"Nakiri- Erina, Erina!" Souma tried to get her attention to no avail. Erina was in full on reprimand mode, something Souma had gotten used to, but this was something extra. Souma knew he had to take drastic measures if he wanted to end this.

"And another thing, you-" Erina was abruptly cut off by a hand covering her mouth. She was momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity he had to even attempt this. The second she processed what happened, she took in a sharp breath and shot Souma a look that could send anyone straight to the grave seven times over.

"Now, I know this isn't the best way to-" Now it was Souma's turn to be cut off, only his reason was a bit different.

"OW!" he yelped, quickly taking back his hand, shaking it. "You bit me!"

"You covered my mouth with your hand, of course I bit you!"

"You couldn't have licked instead?! Most people would lick!"

"You think I'd soil my God's Tongue like that?! What the hell were you thinking!?"

"You wouldn't let me get a word in, I had to think of something!"

"And that's what you came up with?!" Erina practically screeched.

"It might not have been my best idea." He admitted.

"Might? Of all the insane things you've ever done, that was- Souma Yukihira you put that hand down or so help me God!" Erina commanded when she saw his hand twitch.

"Alright, alright. Just, can I say something?"

"What? It had better be damn good if you want to get out of this!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Souma quickly said. Erina stumbled a bit.

"What?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I haven't forgotten what we went through, I'm not gonna leave everyone behind. And of course, I remember our promise. I remember everything when it comes to you, Erina." Souma said, in a tone so serious Erina was taken aback.

"W-well good. I'm glad you're not completely out of your mind. Why did you sound so resigned when you said you'd leave, then?"

"I don't know it's just… I guess I'm tired." He admitted.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. Look, last year started out fine, you know. The training camp, the elections, Stagiaire, the festival… it was all pretty hectic, but it was fun. Then came the whole Central thing and then it was just battle after battle. All of a sudden, I was cooking for survival, mine and my friends. And I'm not complaining at all, I'll fight for them anytime, it's just… it wasn't any fun anymore, you know? By that time, I wasn't really enjoying cooking anymore. I guess I figured taking a little break from Tootsuki might not be the worst thing, I didn't mean to sound like I'm ok with getting expelled. I'm sorry I worried you." He admitted. Souma felt ten pounds lighter letting that out. The truth was that it had been eating him for a while, ever since the last term ended in fact. He hadn't told anyone yet because honestly there wasn't a time that came up, plus he didn't want to drag anyone down.

"Well, I understand that." Erina said, surprising him.

"You do?"

"Of course. I just spent the last few months not only adjusting to running away from home, so to speak, but also fighting for my life, my friends, and the dorm. Add to that, I had to face the man who abused me during my childhood while doing all of that…" Erina trailed off, still rattled by her father. She'd made great strides in moving past it all, but it still lingered. Souma saw her tense up and acted on impulse and held her hand, surprising them both.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Erina stammered. She turned to face him, fully prepared to reprimand him when she saw him turned away from her, his cheeks blush a light shade of pink.

"I, uh, thought that might help. Y-you seemed kinda worked up." Souma explained.

"Oh…"

"D-do you want me to take it back?"

"It-it's fine… for now…" Erina admitted. Silence filled the car as neither party knew what to say.

"Yukihira-kun?" Erina asked, now buzzing with questions.

"Yeah?"

"Am I the only one you've told this to?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Why haven't you told anyone else? Erina asked. Souma awkwardly turned away.

"It's no big deal."

"You didn't even tell Tadokoro-san. That makes it a big deal."

"She's the last person I could tell." Souma answered quickly.

"Souma… why didn't you tell anyone else?" Erina asked. Souma sighed and knew he had to explain. It was sort of like an unwritten rule between them, whenever they'd refer to each other by their first name, there was a shift in their dynamic. They wouldn't be rivals, they wouldn't be competing, they wouldn't even really be classmates. Whenever that would happen, they'd just be honest with each other, letting down their walls and shedding their titles until nothing but Erina and Souma were left. They didn't know exactly when it started, they barely even knew why, but they both were glad they were able to do that. Even if they'd never admit it.

"Look, it's not like I didn't want to, it's just… I dunno, I felt like I'd be weak if I admitted it."

"What do you mean?"

"I just… the whole Central incident was brutal, Erina. I know I kept putting on a face that made it look like I was excited to be taking on so many strong opponents, and a part of me was… but the rest of me was terrified. It was always in the back of my mind, if we lost, that was it. Small town diners everywhere would be gone, everything that didn't align with Azami's idea of true gourmet would be gone, Tootsuki would be in his hands, and you'd be back with him…" Souma began, holding Erina's had a little tighter at the last part. Erina didn't complain.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked again softly.

"Because I knew everyone else was terrified too. After I beat Eizan-senpai the first time, the rest of the dorm kinda started to look up to me. I'm not complaining, I never will about that, but ever since then, I felt like I had to put on a brave face, so everyone else could do the same. I couldn't tell them because if I did, they'd all feel guilty." Souma said, smiling slightly. "They're good people like that. And Tadokoro… if she thought for even a second that she played a part in me being unhappy… I can't do that to them." He admitted.

"I know how you feel…" Erina said.

"Yeah, I know, Mrs. God Tongue." Souma teased. Erina shoved him lightly, making him chuckle.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" Erina reprimanded.

"I know, I know. Just, you were looking pretty down there, wanted to make that frown go away."

"I wasn't frowning! I was just… thinking."

"About?"

"Well, before you rudely interrupted me, I was saying that I know how you feel. I've always had to put on the face of the 'God's Tongue' or 'Nakiri Heir'… I couldn't really be myself, for a while I don't think there really was a 'myself', just the expectations of others. But then I met the Polar Star and… you all accepted me for me. You let me be the me I didn't think was still in me after my father. It was all so new and scary, I'd never felt so vulnerable."

"How'd you deal with it?"

"I just let it happen." Erina said simply, stunning Souma.

"I know it sounds ridiculous but hear me out… letting your walls come down, allowing people to see you at your lowest… it's a kind of intimacy that you can't get often. It's a kind of strength to let yourself be weak. I can tell you that Tadokoro-san has caught me at a few low points before, but she stuck with me through it and we've grown closer because of it."

"That does make a lot of sense…"

"But on the other hand, I suppose it's a bit different for you. I came to them as a virtual unknown, the dorm only knew me by reputation so when they knew the real me, they were able to take me at my lowest. But you… they've known you as nothing but strong, brave, reckless, foolish-"

"Kinda getting off topic there…" Souma sweat dropped.

"Right, my point is, for someone they've just known as confident to show weakness, I can understand how that would be worrying. But Souma…"

"Yeah?"

"They're still your friends. They'll understand."

"Heh, I know Erina, you don't have to remind me."

"Really? Because I think I just did." She teased, making him chuckle more.

"Got me there…" Souma said, rubbing his neck. "You know, I gotta say…I'm glad I have a friend like you, Nakiri."

"As you should be." Erina said. Souma nudged her playfully at that.

"I'm serious. Everyone else, like I said, they all encourage me and that's great, but you're honest with me. Brutally, at times. But that's good, everyone needs someone like that in their lives. I'm glad you're the one for me." Souma said, once again making Erina blush a rather vibrant scarlet.

"Wh-wh-wha…" Erina stuttered out, suddenly unable to form a single thought. Souma was confused at the stuttering heiress beside him until he realized what he said, his eyes going wide as dinner plates.

"I didn't mean- I mean- not like! I just! You're honest! That's what-!" Now it was Souma who was stuttering. Taking a few deep breaths, Souma tried to fix this situation.

"I just meant that- that I'm glad you're the one who tells me what I need to hear." He explained, hoping he didn't make things worse. Erina seemed to have heard him as she started to breathe easier and her face became less red.

"Y-you really need to learn how to phrase things, Yukihira-kun." Erina said.

"Yeah, I know. I wasn't really thinking." Souma admitted.

"No surprise there. Though I was surprised you understood your mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"I never took you as someone who understood… flirting and relationships." Erina admitted. Souma rubbed his neck and grinned awkwardly.

"Yeah, makes sense. It's not that I don't know, it's just… not something I think about, you know? Not really high on my priorities."

"I understand. With all the work we have, it would be difficult for a student engage in such… relations… on top of that, I have my tastings."

"Oh yeah. You have like, an actual real job. In the real world." Souma said.

"Yes, because unlike you, I don't live in a fantasy world."

"I wish. My fantasy world would be awesome."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, Eizan-senpai would leave me alone."

"That does sound nice." Erina admitted.

"And for another, the dorm would be closer to the school. Seriously, we've been driving for like an hour!" Souma whined, making Erina giggle at his childness.

"It's only been maybe 12 minutes, you goof. We'll be there soon."

"Really? It feels like it's been longer."

"Because you have no sense of patience."

"Yeah, that tracks." Souma admitted, making Erina giggle again. Souma smiled softly.

"You've been doing that more lately, laughing, I mean, smiling, too." Souma said honestly.

"I suppose I have. With my father gone, I feel… a sense of peace I haven't had in a long time. I suppose that's thanks to everyone else."

"Your friends, you mean." Souma corrected.

"Yeah… my friends. I have friends."

"Yeah, Nakiri. You do. You gonna come and visit them every now and then?" Souma asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, now that your gramps is back in charge, you can go back to the Nakiri mansion, right?"

"I can… but that doesn't mean I have to leave the dorm so soon."

"Aw, bummer." Souma said, making Erina frown.

"I didn't know you were in such a rush to get rid of me, Yukihira-kun."

"Huh? No, no, no, no. That's not what I meant. Just, the dorm is throwing you and Hisako a going away party. Since you're not going away, which I'm happy about, it'll just be a regular party." Souma explained.

"Oh, well that's better. But now you've ruined the surprise." Erina said. The car then stopped outside the gates of the dorm. Erina could see lights on inside and assumed everyone was setting up.

"We still get to throw you a party." Souma said, getting out of the car, Erina following. As Souma opened the door, he called out to everyone inside.

"Last minute change, guys. Nakiri isn't leaving just yet!" he called out, walking inside, Erina behind him.

"Sorry for ruining the party, everyone." Erina said, bowing slightly.

"Don't be sad, Erina-cchi! Now we can celebrate you staying! Let's start the 'She's Staying' party, everyone!" Yuki said, blowing into a noise making party savour, the rest of the dorm following suit. As the party went on, Hisako came up to Erina.

"Erina-sama, what made you decide to stay for longer?"

"Look around, Hisako." Erina said. Hisako did so and saw many things that caused her to question her sanity. Isshiki's naked apron routine in full flourish, the Aldini brothers competing with Ryoko and Nikumi in what looked like charades, though what Ikumi was trying to act out, she had no idea. Megumi was trying to break up wrestling match between Daigo and Shoji, and Yuki was trying to get Shun to make any kind of change to his face.

"It's chaos in here, Erina-sama." Hisako said, a slight grin on her face.

"Exactly. I think that's something I need right now. Eventually, I'll go back to the mansion, but for now… this is home for me." Erina said.

"Yo, Nakiri! Rematch?" Souma called out, holding a deck of cards in his hand.

"Very well, Yukihira-kun. At least you can give me some form of challenge in this."

"Oh, game on Nakiri!" Souma said.

Over the next few days, the elite 10 began to fully adjust to their new duties, primarily teaching classes. Some members, like Megumi, were widely liked among those they taught, whereas others like, Ryo, were generally complained about on how harsh they taught. Then there were teachers like Souma. Reviews for the classes he'd teach would range from high praise, due to the creativity and practicality of his teachings, to complaints over how scattered they'd be. But every member began to notice a trend among the students.

"Ok! For our French practicum, we're gonna de-glaze some pans! We do this because when we cook a meat dish, little brown bits that fall off. De-glazing let's us take the flavours of those little bits and add it to the whole dish. We've gone over the basics so now I want you to try it for yourselves. You all have 1 hour and 15 minutes to make a meat dish and then de-glaze the pan starting… now!" Souma called out. The students rushed to get the ingredients needed, some pushing and shoving their way to be first.

"Hey, ease up! There's plenty for everyone." Souma called out. The students calmed down a bit and things were going smooth for about 10 minutes. After that, things started getting hectic.

"Stop hogging the wine!" a student called out, trying to take a bottle from another student. Almost the entirety of the class was also trying to get the bottle as well.

"Back off, it's your fault for not being fast enough!" the first student sneered.

"Hey, what's going on here?!" Souma intervened.

"N-nothing, sir!" the second student said, clearly trying not to get in trouble.

"Not nothing. What's happening?" Souma asked again.

"He's hogging Pinot all for himself!" another student said.

"There's other wines you can use. Like that Chardonnay over there." Souma said, motioning to the table where other items like creams, and water were. He noticed that nothing else had been taken, just the Pinot.

"We can't use a filthy Chardonnay! Only a Pinot can bring out the best from meat when de-glazing!" another student called out. The others agreed in panic.

"Alright, stoves off!" Souma yelled over the rest of the students, heading to the front of the class. The rest of the students did as they were told.

"Alright, wine hogger, what's your name?" Souma asked.

"Yahiko, sir."

"Ok, before we go further, no one has to call me 'sir', we good? Ok. Now, guy who tried to take the wine, what's your name?"

"Ishida."

"Ishida, why'd you want the Pinot? There were other wines you could have used. Hell, you didn't even have to use wine." Souma informed.

"B-because Central taught us that only a Pinot was suitable for de-glazing." Ishida said, nervously. The rest of the class nodded along.

"First thing, Central wasn't absolute. I'm sure the rest of the elite 10 have told you this. Second, how many of you were making a chicken dish?" Souma asked. About a third of the class raised their hands.

"Ok, you guys. Why'd you go for wine? Using cream or milk would have been good because you could've made a great masala dish." He explained. Almost all of the students that were cooking chicken looked stunned.

"He's right…"

"I didn't even think of that…"

"B-but Central…"

Students kept mumbling to themselves, and Souma began to realize the doubt his students had.

"Oh boy…" Souma said to himself.

During the next elite 10 meeting, everyone was looking concerned.

"I take it you all figured out what I meant during out last meeting." Hayama said.

"Yes… the students are afraid to cook." Takumi said gravely.

"I wouldn't say they're afraid to cook, just that they've been conditioned to cook in a single way. Anything other than that is seen as wrong." Isshiki said.

"And being wrong is as good as being trash." Erina added, knowing this from personal experience. Souma shot her a concerned look, to which she responded with a reassuring smile.

"How many students are affected?" Mimasaka asked.

"From what I've gathered from everyone here, and from Hisako, almost everyone in the second and third years, and some new first years as well." Erina said.

"The middle school group taught by Central…" Hayama said.

"So, this goes farther than we thought." Souma said.

"Unfortunately…"

"What are we going to do?" Megumi asked. Just then, the doors to the elite 10 meeting opened.

"I'm glad you asked, Tadokoro-san." Alice Nakiri said, bringing in her own chair and sitting next to Ryou.

"Alice! What are you doing here?! This is a meeting for the elite 10, of which you are not a part of!" Erina bereted.

"Boo, Erina you need to learn to share. Here I am, ready and waiting to give you a solution to your problem and here you are, being so rude to your only cousin!" Alice complained.

"How did you even know when to come in at that exact moment?" Hayama asked. Alice held up her phone.

"Ryou-kun was on the phone with me so I knew when to come in." she explained cheerfully.

"Of course." Hayama said.

"You're unbelievable." Erina said.

"Well, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. What was your idea, Alice-chin?" Kuga asked.

"Before I tell you, let's go over what the root of the problem is, shall we?" Alice asked.

"Oh, god, just get on with it." Erina groaned.

"Students are afraid to cook. Azami Nakamura traumatized an entire generation of future chefs. They can't even deglaze a pan from what Yukihira-kun tells me. How do we solve this you may ask?" Alice said.

"I do ask." Souma said, playing along with her theatrics.

"Tootsuki culinary academy will host… Ryou-kun, drum roll." Alice requested.

"Hmm." Ryou said, playing a drum beat from his phone. Alice waited until she heard the final note.

"Its first ever school ball!" Alice announced. The room was silent for a good minute before someone spoke up.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Nene asked.

"Not at all, Kinokuni-senpai." Alice informed.

"That's preposterous! This a culinary institute! The best culinary institute an all of Asia! We're here to learn how to become the best chefs this world has ever seen!" Nene said.

"That is exactly the problem, Kinokuni-senpai." Alice said, suddenly serious. Souma glanced over and saw Erina give a small smirk.

"All students know how to do here is cook, that's all we're trained for. The school spends so much time trying to teach us how to be chef's, that most of us have all but forgotten how to be kids. The students need some sense of normalcy right now." Alice explained.

"That's a wonderful point, Alice-san." Isshiki said, now in his fundoshi.

"Even if we consider this idea, how would we go about it?" Mimasaka asked.

"Well, first we'd need to establish a committee to oversee the logistical aspects of the ball, of which I will obviously be the head of. We'd also need a rather large space to hold all the students that attend. I think the autumn elections auditorium can be repurposed for that, it's one of the largest buildings on campus. We'd also need a budget to pay for things like equipment, speakers, lights, posters, and the like. Food and drink will obviously be needed, but I think our esteemed elite 10 council can take care of that." Alice listed off.

"You've given this some thought." Takumi noticed.

"Oh, Aldini-kun, these are just the basic ideas." Alice informed him.

"Why are we calling it a ball? Why not just a dance?" Souma asked.

"Because a ball is classier." Alice informed.

"And?" Erina followed, knowing her cousin wasn't done.

"And we can have it fantasy themed if it's a ball! Picture it, everyone wearing fancy Victorian outfits, dancing to a live classical orchestral band and-"

"Ok, if we do this, we're going to have to have someone to oversee the committee. Just to make sure things don't go overboard." Nene said.

"All I'm hearing is that the council is seriously considering the idea." Alice noted.

"I know I am." Kuga said.

"Then let's put it to a vote. All in favour?" Erina asked. Everyone, including Alice, raised their hand. Everyone but Nene.

"Come now, Kinokuni-san, why hold out?" Isshiki asked.

"It's just… such a new idea is all." Nene said.

"I know, but it looks like we need some change." Isshiki comforted.

"Fine…" Nene said, slowly raising her hand.

"Then it's settled. Tootsuki will host its first ever school ball." Erina announced to the council.

.

.

.

And Alice.

 **(AN. Guess who's back! For now, anyway. So I really don't have an excuse for this taking so long other than writers block, just not wanting to write, and also kind of forgetting about what I wanted from this story. As a way to make it up to you, this chapter is a bit longer than my usual chapter length. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, I feel like it drags on too long in some places but I really wanted to get something out. I'm also thinking about doing sort of a readers response kind of thing where I respond to reviews. If I see enough support for that, I'll definitely do that. But for now, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!)**


	3. Alice is a maverick

News spread like wildfire of the dance. Students had a variety of responses to the idea. Some were supportive, going around and loudly proclaiming who they're going with, how expensive their dance clothes were going to be, etc… Others weren't as supportive. They were adamantly against the idea, saying that a cooking school had no business promoting something like a dance, and that Tootsuki should focus on food. Most students were in the middle, didn't really have an opinion one way or another but enough of those that were averse to the idea began to make some noise.

"Erina! Have you seen these?!" Alice asked, shoving a flyer in her cousin's face.

"How could I not with it literally in my face." Erina deadpanned.

"I'm serious, Erina. What are we going to do about this?"

"Do we need to? It's a small group of students, there isn't much they can do." Erina reasoned.

"You haven't been keeping up with the newspaper, have you?" Alice asked.

"I checked a few weeks ago…" Erina admitted.

"I thought as much… here! Look at this!" Alice said, digging out a newspaper from her bag. Erina began reading and a worried look came across her face.

"This is…"

"The front page. Apparently, there's a whole student group against the dance, remnants of the Central administration. The even have some faculty support." Alice explained.

"Great." Erina groaned.

"So, what do we do?" Alice asked again.

"I'll bring it up during the next council meeting, don't worry." Erina said.

"Alright, good luck, Erina."

* * *

"A Central Restoration group?! Are you kidding me!?" Kuga groaned. Grunts of agreement resounded across the room with the rest of the elite 10.

"Whose idea was this?" Takumi asked.

"From what I could find out, Rentaro Kusunoki is prominent in the group and they have faculty support, but I'm not sure who." Erina said.

"Central Restoration group, founded by 3rd year student Rentaro Kusunoki, 34 students in total with 15 of them joining within the last six days. Two faculty advisors: Sakazuki Endo and Ino Hiroi, both of whom were staunch followers of Azami's doctrine. The group meets in their primary headquarters in the French practicum building on Wednesday's and Friday's at 8:00 in the afternoon." Mimasaka informed. The rest of the elite 10 stared at him.

"That's… a lot of information. How'd you get all that?" Akira asked.

"Thanks to being on the Elite 10, I've been able to establish a sort of spy network across the school. If there's a piece of information I want, I can get it within 2 days." Mimasaka boasted.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that." Nene said.

"I am, I'm creeped out. Mimasaka-chin, can you not?" Kuga asked.

"If Mimasaka-san promises not to abuse this network and use it for the benefit of the school and council, then I see no reason for him to abolish his network. You will be responsible, right?" Isshiki asked, a smile on his face but the threat clear in his voice.

"Y-yes, senpai." Mimasaka stuttered out.

"Good. Now that we know what we're up against, what are wee going to do about it?" Isshiki asked.

"M'lady Alice is on it." Ryou said.

"You're texting her again?" Akira asked.

"Hmm." Ryou answered, holding up his phone.

"Oh god, what is she doing?" Erina groaned. This time Akira's phone rang.

"Speak of the devil…" Akira said, answering his phone. "Alice, what are you doing… why are you going to their base… no, do not do that! No, don't hang up! And she hung up." Akira lamented.

"So, what's she doing?" Souma asked.

"She's gonna challenge them to a Shokugeki." Akira answered.

"That's actually not a bad idea…" Kuga said.

"But of she were to do that, what would she even ask for?" Mimasaka asked.

"Well, they're getting in the way of her dance, so I can assume that she'd want the group to disband." Erina said.

"She can't challenge any random group member for that, nothing short of the student leader would have that authority…" Nene said.

"So that means…"

"She's gonna challenge Rentaro Kusunoki to a shokugeki." Ryou said, getting up to leave, Akira following him.

"Where are you two going?" Erina asked.

"To get M'lady." Ryou answered, leaving the room.

"Kurokiba-san seems worried about this."

"He's had a shokugeki with Kusunoki-senpai before. He won 3-0 but admitted he wasn't sure he'd win again if they fought a second time. Given how Kusunoki-senpai has become a 3rd year, he's no doubt polished his skills even further. Kurokiba-san is probably worried for Alice-san." Takumi explained.

"Should… should we go after them?" Kuga asked.

"Why not? It sounds rather interesting." Isshiki said, getting up himself. The rest of the council followed suit and on their way to the French practicum building in various vehicles. After a half hour drive, they arrived at the building.

"Seriously! This campus is too big!" Souma complained.

"Quit complaining, Mimasaka-san, what room are they in?" Erina asked.

"3rd floor, room 364." He answered. They through the building and when they reached the room, Erina was the one to open the door.

"Alice!" she called out. She, along with the rest of the group, were not prepared for the sight before them. Alice was sitting on a table, legs crossed, while the rest of the Central restoration group, Rentaro included, were sprawled on the floor in various stages of undress.

"What…?" Nene asked aloud, getting Alice's attention.

"Oh, hi everyone. Ryou-kun, Hayama-kun, you're late!"

"Alice, what happened here?" Erina asked.

"We had a quick Shokugeki. I won, 3-0." She answered simply.

"You beat Kusunoki-senpai?" Mimasaka asked.

"What, like it's hard?" Alice answered.

"What was the theme?" Souma asked.

"Ren-chan here decided on French cooking. He made some fancy shmancy salmon dish and I made crepes. I have some left over if you'd like any." Alice said cheerfully.

"Don't mind if I do." Souma said, going over to the table. "What kind did you make?" Souma asked.

"Fufufu, it's a surprise." Alice answered.

"Oh, the best kind. Well, thank you for the food!" Souma said before digging into his chosen crepe. Instantly, he was flung into a sea of marinara, his only lifeboat the soft bread of the crepe. Trying to ease into the flow if the current of sauce, he got tangled in a web a mozzarella, finding bliss in surrendering to it.

"That's really good, Alice! It's like a calzone!" Souma said, getting Takumi's attention.

"Calzone, you say. Now I have to try."

"Sorry, Takumi-kun. Souma-kun has the only calzone crepe I made."

"I'll share, get in here, Takumi." Souma offered. Takumi nodded and cut himself a piece. Instantly, he found himself in the same sea that Souma was in.

"Meraviglioso*! Semplicemente* meraviglioso mia signora*!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Grazie, Takumi-kun." Alice replied.

"You know Italian, Alice-san?" Megumi asked.

"I've picked up a few phrases here and there from Takumi-kun."

"I didn't think you two would hang out." Kuga said.

"But of course. Takumi-kun is one of the few people who share's my love of extravagance." Alice explained. Takumi nodded while still eating the crepe with Souma. The both of them kept chowing down, pulling apart cheese until they were face to face with each other, surprised to find that they were chewing on the same piece of cheese. They stared at each other before a flash of light got their attention. They turned, breaking the string of cheese between them, to find Alice with her phone out.

"Fufufu, this should come in handy." Alice said, mirth clear in her voice.

"Delete that!" Takumi demanded.

"If we can get back to the point!" Erina announced, getting everyone's attention, even waking up the defeated CRG members.

"Oh yeah. Now that Alice-chin won, this group is now disbanded." Kuga said.

"Nope, that wasn't my prize." Alice said, stunning the rest of the elite 10.

"What did you want, then?" Nene asked.

"The Central restoration group has to attend the Tootsuki ball and enjoy themselves." Alice answered.

"We'll go to your stupid dance, but no one said anything about enjoying ourselves." Rentaro suddenly spoke up.

"Alice, what exactly were the terms?" Erina asked.

"If Ren-chan won, then I'd leave Tootsuki and never return. And if I won, and I did, then the CRG would attend the ball and not cause any mischief. The contract is very clear about what constitutes as mischief." Alice explained.

"When did you even draw up a contract?" Nene asked.

"Yesterday, when I heard about the group."

"Alice, are you sure this is a good idea? Inviting them to the dance?" Erina asked.

"Ball," Alice corrected, "And yes I do. You'll see why." Alice said, turning to the Central group as a whole.

"Now, as for you lot. Make sure to dress the part, that's also in the contract. Don't be late, we're starting right at 7:30. Oh, and before I forget, you're more than welcome to attend as well, Hiroi-sensei, Endo-sensei. Faculty are also encouraged to come." Alice said to the glaring faculty advisers. As the elite 10 and Alice began to leave, Endo suddenly spoke out.

"Erina-sama, please! You cannot seriously support this! Your father had a dream of true gourmet, the way the world of food should be! It's not too late, I'm sure if you reached out to Azami-sama, you can still-"

"Quiet." Erina demanded. The room became deathly silent as Erina turned and shot Endo a glare so harsh he fell over on the ground.

"Azami Nakamura no longer has any influence here, or on me. He tried to bring his ideals to this school. He lost. As will anyone else who dares to support him. If you so staunchly believe in his ideals, you're more than welcome to leave Tootsuki and follow him to whatever desolate corner in the world he found himself if, Sakazuki Endo." Erina said, not so subtly giving Endo the ultimatum.

"And on that note, I think it's time to leave." Isshiki said.

* * *

Translation

Meravigliosa- Marvelous

Semplicemente- Simply

Mia Singora- My Lady

Grazie* Thank You

 **(A/N. Hey, everyone! Been a while, I know. I've been busy with University and final exams but I'm on summer break so I have more time to write! To try and make up for my absence, I will try my best to get another chapter up within a week so look out for that. As always, leave a review and if people are still in to the idea of a review response thing, just put it in your review.)**


	4. Legacies

"Damn, Nakiri-chin! That was intense!" Kuga said to Erina. The elite 10, and Alice, were once again in the council room, having just returned from their trip to the Central group.

"I simply said what needed to be said, Kuga-senpai." Erina said coolly. Though on the inside, she was full of adrenaline.

"I agree with Kuga-senpai. That was amazing, Erina! You put Endo-sensei in his place. As expected of our esteemed 4th seat." Alice said.

"While I do appreciate that, I have to know. Why did you invite them to the dance? Why not just abolish the group as a whole and be done with it?" Erina asked.

"I told you, you'll see at the dance. Trust me, cousin, I know what I'm doing." Alice said.

"That has rarely ever been true." Erina replied, a slight smirk on her face.

"How rude! I save your precious ball-"

"Your idea." Erina interjected.

"And this is how you repay me? Well I won't stand it. Come on, Ryo-kun, Hayama-kun. We're leaving." Alice said, grabbing Ryo and leaving the room in a huff.

"Hm. Later." Ryo mumbled.

"I don't work for you, Alice." Akira said.

"Fufufu, your contract says otherwise, Hayama-kun." Alice cackled.

"Wait… what? What contract?" Akira said, getting up himself. "Alice! What contract? What are you talking about? Alice!" Akira called out, following the two.

"So, we're down two members." Mimasaka observed.

"I swear to god, Alice is going to give me an aneurysm one day." Erina groaned under her breath.

"Why don't we call it and adjourn for the day." Isshiki said, earning murmurs of agreements from around the room.

"Tadokoro-san, would you mind helping me with a dish I'm trying to make?" Nene asked Megumi as the group made their way out.

"M-m-me? Kinokuni-senpai?" Megumi stuttered.

"Yes, you. I'm working on a dish with a heavy vegetable component and you're quite proficient in that field. One of the best I hear." Nene said warmly, causing Megumi to blush spectacularly.

"Y-you're exaggerating." Megumi mumbled.

"Don't sell yourself short, Tadokoro-san. You've even been trained by Kojiro Shinomiya himself. He only recognizes those with true talent." Erina said.

"T-thank you, Nakiri-san." Megumi said.

"Gee, thanks Nakiri. I always knew you thought I was amazing." Souma teased.

"You're the exception to the rule, Yukihira-kun." Erina shot back, causing the red-headed chef to laugh.

"So, what are you gonna do now, Nakiri?" Souma asked.

"I have a mountain of paperwork to get through. Wait, what about you? It's been months and I've seen you sign maybe 3 documents." Erina wondered. At that, Souma gave Erina a devious grin, one that Erina was all too familiar with.

"Yukihira-kun, what did you do?" Erina sighed.

"It wasn't me this time, it was Takumi. Eizan-senpai has been challenging him almost as much as me but he keeps losing to him, too. You remember when he had to sing the Tootsuki theme song in the middle of campus?" Souma asked, causing Erina to giggle at the memory.

"Takumi-san made him do that?"

"Oh yeah. During one of their shokugeki's, after Takumi won, he made Eizan-senpai do all the paperwork Takumi wanted him to do. Takumi let me slip my paperwork in there too, even Tadokoro sometimes gets in on it when she's really busy." Souma explained.

"That's… actually genius." Erina admitted.

"Right? Saves us a lot of time."

"Plus, it annoys Eizan-senpai, right?" Erina asked.

"There's that too." Souma admitted, making Erina giggle.

"You really do hold a grudge, don't you." Erina asked.

"Whatever do you mean, Erina?" Souma feigned, laughing along with her. Soon after, Hisako came up to the two, slightly confused.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Making Eizan-senpai miserable." Souma answered, Erina nodding along. Hisako grinned herself.

"That would do it. Erina-sama, you have a tasting appointment with Hayama-san in 30 minutes. A car is coming to pick you up in 5." Hisako informed.

"Hayama? Why's he coming with you to a tasting?" Souma asked, confused.

"Ever since his legitimate appointment to the elite 10, his sense of smell has been lauded as ground-breaking. People want to use it the same way they use my God's Tongue, and they'll pay exorbitant amounts of money to access them both." Erina explained.

"As impressive as his sense of smell is, it's leagues below Erina-sama's skills." Hisako said.

"Sounds fun, I'll tag along." Souma announced to the confusion of the two girls.

"Yukihira-kun, you do know that you wouldn't be tasting anything, right?" Erina said.

"I know."

"And you more than likely wouldn't know who is presenting what dish and why." Hisako added.

"Yup." Souma answered. The girls looked at each other and back at Souma.

"You're really bored, aren't you, Yukihira?" Hisako asked. Souma almost visibly deflated.

"Oh my god, you have no idea. My schedule is just 'meetings, class, teaching, paperwork' over and over. I haven't made a new dish in weeks!" Souma complained. The girls thought about it and Erina came to decision as the car came around.

"Fine, you may come along, Yukihira-kun. But please try to keep a professional attitude while we're there." Erina asked.

"You got it, Nakiri." Souma promised, getting into the car. Erina groaned slightly and turned to Hisako.

"I may have made a mistake." Erina admitted.

"I'm sure he'll act appropriately, Erina-sama." Hisako reassured, though not too sure herself. The two girls went inside as well.

"What's Yukihira doing here?" Akira asked as Erina and Hisako climbed in the car.

"He decided to come along, for whatever reason." Erina answered.

"He got bored, didn't he?" Akira asked.

"You have no idea." Souma groaned.

"What did you expect being on the elite 10?" Akira asked.

"Well I thought I'd be able to do whatever I wanted, cook whenever and stuff." Souma explained.

"It's mostly paperwork, even when I was on the council during Central, I had mountains to get done." Akira explained.

"How does one school even have this much to do?" Souma asked.

"Tootsuki is unique as it gives a lot of administrative control to the elite 10 council. As such, we have a lot of work to do when it comes to running the school." Erina explained.

"Man, that's a bummer." Souma groaned.

"Yukihira, didn't you help your father manage a restaurant for years? Wasn't there work involved with that?" Hisako asked.

"Yeah, but dad handled most of the big stuff. I did things like business licences and looking over how much we made after every month." Souma explained.

"Still, this is something you're going to have to get used to." Erina said.

"Or I can keep getting Eizan-senpai to do it." Souma said, grinning.

"I suppose there's that." Erina relented.

"So, who's the guy we're going to meet anyway?" Souma asked.

"He wanted to keep his name quiet, he values his privacy. He has been vouched for by various professors and he himself is an alumnus of Tootsuki, so we know he's legitimate." Hisako answered.

"And for some reason, he requested me specifically. Jun said that I had to go." Akira said.

"How is Shiomi-senpai doing, anyway? The seminar going good?" Souma asked. Akira nodded.

"She's doing good, thanks for asking. Now that I'm truly a part of the elite 10, the seminar has no shortage of funds and we're getting more business partners every day. Our future is secure for the time being. And most importantly, we finally have proper air conditioning." Akira answered.

"That's good to hear. I'd come by more but Shiomi-senpai kinda scares me, to be honest. She packs a mean right hook." Souma said, rubbing his cheek.

"I know what you mean." Akira said, rubbing his own cheek.

"Stop being so over dramatic." Erina said.

"You don't get it, Nakiri. I can still feel it stinging sometimes." Souma said, Akira nodded in agreement.

"Erina-sama, we've arrived at the destination." Hisako informed as the car slowed to a halt.

"Thank you, Hisako. Are you two ready?" Erina asked. The boys nodded and the four of them exited the car and were greeted by a familiar face waiting for them at the door."

"Hello, everyone." Alice greeted, cheerfully waving at them.

"Alice, you can't be here." Erina said.

"Why not? Yukihira-kun is here." Alice pointed out.

"He's a part of the elite 10, he can accompany us." Erina explained. Alice handed her a piece of paper.

"Well I think this should clear me." Alice said. Erina began to read the note aloud.

"'I, Jun Shiomi, head of the Shiomi spice seminar, allow Alice Nakiri to accompany Akira Hayama to his tasting today.' Is this for real?" Erina asked.

"Let me see that." Akira asked, Erina handed him the note. "Yeah, this is Jun's handwriting and signature."

"Fine. Alice, please don't mess around. This is a professional appointment that Tootsuki is being paid for." Erina asked.

"I understand, Erina. Jeez, what do you take me for?" Alice asked. Erina was about to respond but Hisako cut her off.

"Erina-sama, we don't have the time to answer that question. The client is waiting." Hisako mediated. Erina nodded and the group made their way inside and to the client's room. The room was clean and filled with various foods and cooking materials, a standard practical cooking classroom. Sitting at a table was an elderly man reading a paper with plates of food in front of him.

"Greetings, I am Erina Nakiri, 4th seat of the elite 10. Theses are my colleagues-" Erina was again cut off.

"Hayama-sensei?" Akira said.

"Jeez, Hayama-kun. I never took you as that self-centred." Alice said. The old man laughed heartily in response.

"Ohohoho! My dear, I do believe he was referring to me." The client said.

"Hayama, you know this guy?" Souma asked and Hayama nodded.

"This is Ichirou Hayama. He was the one in charge in the Spice Seminar before he retired and gave it over to Jun." Akira informed.

"While this is true, I think my greatest achievement is being this fine young mans godfather. Come now, Akira-kun, give this old man a hug." Ichirou asked. Hayama granted his request and was engulfed in a bear hug, surprising the rest of the group.

"What are you doing here? How come you didn't tell me you were coming?" Akira asked, pulling away from Ichirou.

"I wanted to surprise my favourite godson." Ichirou said.

"I'm your only godson." Hayama pointed out.

"Which makes you my favourite." Ichirou laughed.

"You old coot." Akira playfully chided, making Ichirou laugh again.

"Uh, not to cut this short, but this guy's your godfather, Haya- er, Akira?" Souma asked.

"Yeah. When Jun brought me to Japan and adopted me, she did so in part with Hayama-sensei. He and Jun helped raise me… he also gave me my name and I've been trying to live up to that ever since." Akira informed.

"My boy, you've more than done that. I'm so proud of you Akira-kun. When I heard you won the elections and then went on to become part of the elite 10, why, I had to come and see you myself. Jun was more than happy to help me." Ichirou explained.

"So, you did all this just to surprise me?" Akira asked.

"Partly. Originally, I had a few dishes I wanted to get an opinion on, but once they told me the new elite 10 roster, I knew I had a chance to see you again." Ichirou answered.

"Still this must have cost you a lot. A tasting from 2 members of the elite 10, and one of them being the gods tongue." Akira pointed out. Ichirou waved him off.

"Completely worth it to see you again, my boy." Ichirou said.

"Hisako, please reimburse Hayama-dono's deposit. Tootsuki would be remis to charge an alumnus who has contributed so much to the school." Erina announced.

"Right away, Erina-sama." Hisako said, smiling.

"Nakiri-san, you don't have to do that, I paid for this appointment as is custom." Ichirou said.

"Nonsense, Hayama-dono. I cannot, in good conscience, allow that. Now, as I was saying before, I am Erina Nakiri, 4th seat and as you're intimately aware, my colleague is Akira Hayama. We're here to critique whatever dish you've brought us. My other colleagues here are Hisako Arato, my personal assistant, and Souma Yukihira, 5th seat of the elite 10." Erina introduced.

"Yo, Hayama-dono." Souma greeted, making Erina elbow him in the side.

"I said to act professionally! You don't greet people professionally by saying 'Yo'!" Erina chided. Ichirou laughed again.

"Don't worry, Nakiri-san. Jun old me about you, Yukihira-kun. You're Jouichirou's boy, aren't you?"

"Yup. You knew my dad?" Souma asked. Ichirou nodded.

"Indeed, I do. Jun came to me more than once about the strange concoctions he'd make her eat. He was truly gifted, but some of that boy's dishes made me worry." Ichirou reminisced.

"Eheheh, yeah that sounds like my dad." Souma chuckled.

"Erina! You didn't introduce me!" Alice complained.

"I didn't think I needed to." Erina teased.

"Boo! I'll do it myself. I'm Alice Nakiri, Hayama-dono, Erina's cousin, future 1st seat, and Akira-kun's close personal friend." Alice introduced.

"Alice, don't-" Akira started but was cut off by Ichirou.

"Close personal friend? Akira, my boy! You didn't mention that you were getting along well with such a fine young women." Ichirou bellowed, making Akira blush slightly.

"Gramps!" Akira said, embarrassed.

"My, my, Hayama-dono." Alice teased, slightly blushing herself.

"Hohohoho! I think that's enough teasing for now. Perhaps we should get to the dishes I've brought." Ichirou offered.

"I think that'd be best." Erina said. Her, Akira, and Souma sat down before Ichirou, who readied his dishes.

"Now then, let us begin!" Ichirou said.

* * *

"Man, that old man can cook!" Souma said, stretching his arms.

"Indeed. I can see where Hayama-kun got his strengths from." Alice agreed.

"I'm mostly impressed with how you handled yourselves. Almost like real professionals." Erina said.

"Hey, I said I'd be good." Souma defended while Alice nodded along.

"You'll forgive me if I was still worried." Erina said.

"Fair enough. I gotta say, I've never seen Hayama that happy before. The guy's usually a stone wall." Souma said.

"I know! Whenever Hayama-kun hangs out with me and Ryo-kun, he's always so grumpy." Alice said.

"I can't imagine why." Erina said, making Hisako smirk.

"My, Erina. You've become much bolder since uncle left." Alice said.

"Yeah, it's a good look on you, Nakiri-er, Erina." Souma agreed.

"We-well, of course." Erina stuttered. The four of them were walking back to the car after the tasting, satisfied after the food.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Alice asked the group.

"Paperwork, mostly." Erina said.

"I'm gonna take a nap." Souma said.

"Really? A nap?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I've been feeling pretty beat lately." Souma admitted.

"Good. You push yourself too much. Rest is something you need. You still have the herbal teas I gave you?" Hisako asked.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Drink one of those before you got to sleep, and it should revitalize you when you wake up." Hisako instructed.

"Will do, thanks, Arato." Souma said in gratitude.

"So, what are your plans for tha dance?" Alice asked.

"I dunno. Go, have a fun time?" Souma asked.

"You're going, Yukihira-kun?" Erina asked.

"Well, yeah. We're part of the elite 10, I figured we all had to go." Souma said.

"Yes, you do! Erina, don't tell me you're planning to skip it." Alice said.

"Well, not anymore." Erina muttered.

"Good. Who are you going with?" Alice asked, making Erina blush a little.

"Wh-what? That was never discussed." Erina stuttered.

"Well, it's a given, right? People all over campus are bragging about who they're going with and what they're going to wear." Alice said.

"Really? I was just gonna wear the academy uniform. Figured I'd dress the part, you know." Souma said. Alice stared at him.

"Yukihira-kun, you're kidding, right?" Alice asked.

"N-no?" Souma answered. Alice quickly pulled out her phone.

"That's unacceptable." She said before dialling. "Hey, it's me, I need your help… it's about Yukihira-kun… yes, I know, I know, but this is serious… he's planning to go to the dance in the academy uniform… that's what I said…! I knew I could count on you… we're by the Japanese traditional building… see you soon." Alice said, hanging up her phone.

"What's happening?" Souma asked, confused. Erina and Hisako shrugged.

"Trust me, Yukihira-kun, this is for your own good." Alice said.

"I feel worried, should I be worried?" Souma asked.

"Considering who we're dealing with, probably." Erina admitted.

"Ok, yeah, I'm just gonna go." Souma said before a car pulled up ahead of him.

"What the…" Hisako asked aloud. She was even more confused when Takumi came out of the car.

"Yukihira!" Takumi yelled.

"Takumi? What are you doing here?" Souma asked.

"Alice called me, what's this I hear about you wearing the academy uniform to the dance?" Takumi asked.

"You were talking to Takumi-san?" Hisako asked Alice.

"Mhmm. Like I said before, he's one of the few people who gets me. You know what to do here?" Alice asked Takumi.

"Of course. You were right to call me. Come on, Yukihira, we're going to get you a proper outfit for the dance. No 'if's and's or but's' about it." Takumi said, dragging Souma into the car.

"Takumi hold on! Erina, help-!" Souma's plea was cut off as Takumi stuffed him in the car and shut the door.

"That was… disturbing." Erina said, watching the car drive off.

"It was necessary. What about you, Erina? What are you wearing?" Alice asked, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Uhh…" Erina stumbled. Alice grabbed her hand and grinned.

"Don't worry, cousin. We'll find you something nice. You to, Hishoko." Alice said.

'… _This is not how I thought today was gonna go'_ Hisako thought as Alice lead them off.

 **(A/N. Chapter 4! We're making our way though the story. There's gonna be a couple more after this, at the max 3. We get into the dance in the next chapter and I gotta say, I'm a bit nervous. I've never done a story involving a dance so it'll be a learning experience. That being said, I'm looking forward to the challenge.**

 **Onto the reading response, there was only one but hopefully there'll be more in the future.**

 **Prietar: What do you think about Erina being the headmaster and Soma being number 1?"**

 **Honestly, I'm not to psyched about it. I get this is a fictional story so the author can do whatever they want, but having a student run an entire school seems like much. I'm sure Erina will do a great job though. As for Souma being the first seat, that's just a little more believable. In my story, I have Isshiki, Kuga, and Nene as the first 3 seats because they're now 3rd years but also because I believe they're better chefs overall than Souma and co. But I can understand Souma being interim first seat if they're complacent with their previous seats and allow the 92nd generation to take over, as a sort of reward for all they've done.**

 **That's all for now, and don't forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter!**


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